Day 7: Social Media
Safe & Sound is a free 21-day program to help parents, grandparents and caregivers protect children from abuse. Developed by Oregon Child Advocacy Centers, this Safe & Sound program for Central Oregon is brought to you by KIDS Center in collaboration with Protect Our Children.
Welcome to Day 7!
No talk about internet safety would be complete without a word (or several!) on social media. So today for Safe & Sound, we’re looking at steps you and your child can take to stay safe on social platforms.
Staying safe on social media.
Remember the good old days…when Facebook was the only social media app, and you had to have a college email address to join? C’est la vie! Social media has exploded over the last five years, and it just continues to grow and evolve. Life now happens within an app for many kids, from elementary schoolers to teens. Social media does have positive aspects. It allows for connections, creativity, exploration, and laughter. But interacting with people you “think” you know can also be dangerous.
Bottom line: kids need to know how to stay safe when socializing online.
Focus on privacy.
You can help protect your child online by focusing on privacy. Take a two-pronged approach. First, consider what your child puts out there. Second, check the settings on their account.
Privacy Settings
Make sure all social media accounts are private, including messages.
Location Settings
Turn off all location services for any social media app or account.
Don't Overshare
Our social media accounts don't need to become our new diaries. Keep personal and private information off these platforms and make sure adults don't overshare about kids on their accounts either.
Today’s Activity and Conversation Starter
Start with your own devices and check your privacy settings. If your child has a device, sit down and discuss the three safety steps.
Focused Conversation Starter
What can you do when your child/tween brings up the issue that everyone has a social media account or is on a specific social media platform that you as a parent/guardian don’t feel comfortable with?
Thank them: for bringing this up as you can see it is important to them and it is a topic that you are open to talking about.
Ask and validate their feelings: Acknowledge that it is difficult when you feel like you are the only one not participating.
Let them know where you are coming from: Tell them that your concern stems from the fact that the internet was not made with kids in mind and there is A LOT out there that is inappropriate or safe for them to engage with.
Come to a consensus: Discuss and come to an agreement of next steps. Is it putting a specified timeframe of when this will be revisited after observing behaviors and actions to determine maturity and responsibility? Is it allowing your child/teen to download the platform but with VERY limited access? Determine with your child/teen what would be the best next step.
That’s it for Day 7! See you tomorrow!
More ways to participate in Safe & Sound:
Visit the 2024 Safe & Sound page and catch up on daily activities.